Archive

Sorry about the late podcast, the first few seconds have an explanation. This week, we thank Byron and Aaron as well as Andrew and Paul. Thanks guys! Your support keeps this podcast alive. Brent Butterworth reviewed the review we were going to review. Thanks Eliezer and Efrain for bringing it to our attention (and this little gem from Visio). Cliff has a great suggestion for Hemant (LINK and LINK), Byron has some receiver and subwoofer questions, and Aaron has a drop ceiling and needs recommendations for a projector mount (LINK). Nelson is a reformed audiophile (just kidding) and has some stories to share about his most unlikely “upgrade.” Herb (from Cross Spectrum Labs) backs up Lee, and Infinite Gary is looking to figure out the source of his bass woes. Barney would like our speculations on DTS:X, Efrain wants our opinion on Meridian’s MQA (LINK), Leighton ran into a problem with his Denon AVR-X4000, and David is having a bass problem in a room with chamfered ceilings.

Or “Welcome to the New Year.” Something like that. With our three-week backlog, we’ve got a lot of listeners to thank and a lot of questions to get through. We thank Infinite Gary, Lior, Efrain, Wilson, Ronald, Chris, Nelson, and John. Thanks to all and Happy New Year! Lior wants to know if there is ever a downside to getting “too much” subwoofer. Michael gives us his opinion of his Fluance SX Series speakers (LINK) and suggests for people looking to us a Mac as an HTPC to run Windows within VMware Fusion so that any necessary Windows programs can easily be launched from within Mac OS X. Barney wants to know if we think there will be an Atmos soundbar at CES this year and wants to know what “Dolby Surround” is on TV shows. Ilango linked us up to a description of off the Philharmonic mods of the Andrew Jones speakers (LINK) and has a suggestion for those thinking about a Denon AVR-X4000 but don’t like the thought of refurbs (LINK). Infinite Gary saw a review of the Stewart StudioTek 100 screen and wants to know if we think he should upgrade (LINK) and wants to know how he might implement Atmos in his custom theater. Jason has an older amp without 12-volt triggers and wants to know how to turn it on and off (LINK and LINK), Andrew wants our take on the Devialet Phantom speaker (LINK) and let us know about NASA’s Reverberent Acoustic Test Facility (LINK), and Nikhil has a pre-wired home theater woes. Chris has a Velodyne DEQ-8R subwoofer that is getting VERY hot and is concerned, Toby sent us a link to an SVS SB-2000 “review,” and Leighton is loving his X4000 and tells us all about it!

Tom apologizes for dropping the ball on posting this podcast. Blame it on Christmas craziness. This week, Rob has a special listener of the week. You’ll have to listen in to find out who it is. For HTPC types, listener Andrew recommends the website My Media Experience (LINK) for info and Craigslist for deals. Ilango wants to know where to place height speakers, what to do if those height speakers are rear ported, and which speakers we’d add first past the base five. Jay is interested in a projector but he plays a lot of video games (LINK), Hemant has an problem with controlling multiple identical devices with his Harmony remote, and David wants our opinion on the Kef T100 speakers (LINK). Leighton has a height speaker placement question, an Audyssey question, and wants to know if the Marantz UD5007 Blu-ray player is a good deal at $299 (LINK). Infinite Gary has concerns that his theater is over-damped, Barney has a center-channel speaker question, and Gaylen wants to know if there is a way to get both HDMI and analog video at the same time. Jonathan sent us a link to a massive article about The Beatles’ Mystery Chord from A Hard Day’s night (LINK).

Rob returns, and he’s got some things to say…at the end of the podcast. Special thanks to Ilango, Joseph, and Joshua for being our listeners of the week (two weeks in this instance). Thanks guys! This week, Rob gives his opinions on a couple of topics he missed last time (Derek’s two-channel dilemma and William’s question about the WaveCrest Audio Speakers (LINK)). Ashley wants to use a Mac Mini as an HTPC (LINK) and needs help finding an external Blu-ray drive (LINK). He’s curious about which software to use (LINK and LINK) and what are the pros and cons of using a Mac versus a PC. Jeff found a neat product to use on your CDs after you’re finished shaving the edges off them (LINK), E. Don has an employer with a unique problem – projecting information on a window for passing cars at night (LINK, LINK, and LINK), and Lior had some suggestions for Tom about his X4000 and Audyssey (LINK). Efrain wanted our take on some cotton absorption panels (LINK) and how they compare to fiberglass ones (LINK), Stewert suggests dB PowerAmp for ripping CDs (LINK), and Eliezer sent us a 12-minute interview with Andrew Jones – the guy that designed the speakers Rob likes so much (LINK). CyberYoda’s theater-in-progress pictures are pretty amazing (LINK), Andrew is curious about the resurgence of vinyl (LINK), and Michael wants to know how much control you really have of the Denon AVR X4000 from the web interface. Spencer is really interested in the Fluance XL7F speakers (LINK) and wants our opinions. He’s especially concerned because they are said to be harder to drive and he has an older receiver (LINK). Jeb sent us a cool link to a YouTube video (LINK – and we added it to our HT Test Playlist on YouTube – LINK), Andrew recommends the MyMediaExperience website for those interested in learning more about HTPCs (LINK), and Aperion Audio has extended their in-home trial period to 60 days (LINK). Lastly, Rob has some words for Axiom Audio and the people releasing Atmos Blu-rays.

A special thanks to Mike and Frank for being our listeners of the week. You guys are the best! Rob is out this week and Lee Overstreet steps in for him. Eliezer has a suggestion for a good sounding boombox from PeachTree (LINK) as does Andy from B&W (LINK). Frank has some additional comment for Buddy, Leighton want to know if we think he’ll hear a difference between MCACC and Audyssey, and Pete on Twitter asks if we think this Sony receiver deal is good enough (Lee is OK with it, Tom thinks THIS would be better, and Rob recommends THIS). Tom and Lee discuss Derek’s expansion into surround sound. He has some high quality main speakers and wants help deciding what gear to buy. Jared is looking for a sub for a small home theater, William wants our opinions on the Ascend Acoustics designed Wavecrest Audio HVL-1 bookshelf speakers (LINK), and the Denon website has David very confused about his LFE settings (LINK). Lastly, we talk about the new Star Wars trailer and the now infamous lightsaber (LINK).